Saturday, May 7, 2011

Sunday Reflection

A beautiful rendition of the classic hymn, Great is Thy Faithfulness by Fernando Ortega.


Have a wonderful week! 

period pain? do something about it, urgently.

assalamualaikum wbt! :)

today, i wanna talk about something, that i just knew and heard about. doctors, correct me if i'm giving the wrong information. since these past few weeks, i spent most of the time at Ampang Puteri Specialist Hospital. my cousin, akma, or kma was admitted there. at the beginning, she went there as a cause of back pain. which involves her back bones. she couldn't sleep at night and cry because it is too painful. and the Doctor said, by the moment, there is no operation could be done. the best she can do is physiotherapy twice a day.

but unfortunately, during the MRI test, the doctor found something else which needs an operation to be done as soon as possible. luckily, it wasn't a cancer. which he called - ENDOMETRIOSIS.


this is ENDOMETRIOSIS.


Endometriosis is a condition in which the tissue that behaves like the cells lining the uterus (endometrium) grows in other areas of the body, causing pain, irregular bleeding, and possible infertility. The tissue growth (implant) typically occurs in the pelvic area, outside of the uterus, on the ovaries, bowel, rectum, bladder, and the delicate lining of the pelvis.

to make things easier, ENDOMETRIOSIS is - 'pendarahan luar rahim'. it caused by a lot of things, but the main cause is GENETIC. and, girlssss, the biggest symptom is, PERIOD PAIN. i repeat. PERIOD PAIN. and the Doctor told me,

"orang Melayu ni satu je, kalau period pain, dia kata biasa. bukan nak cek."

heh. that is true. in kma's situation, she had a very bad painful period pain on her left side of her pelvic. and, her endometriosis, is located on her left side ovary, which sized 10cm diameter. could u just imagine? she had her operation done on last friday, and to remove that 10cm endometriosis, the doctor needs to cut at least 15cm dekat perut dia tu, just to remove that 10cm tau tak? 15 cm means same je macam kalau bersalin secara pembedahan! SAKITTTT.


it is something like this. and the Dr did remove 1 of her appendix as well.


even though the Dr removed her Endometriosis, the underlying process that causes endometriosis may not cease after surgical or medical intervention. The most recent studies have shown that endometriosis recurs at a rate of 20%-40% within 5 years following conservative surgery, unless hysterectomy is performed or menopause reached. maksudnya, walaupun kma dah operate buang endometriosis ni, benda ni akan still datang & terbentuk sampai dia monopaus. so, every 3 months kma perlu dtg, cek, kalau ada sikit, terus Dr akan kasi injection utk buang. unless dia mengandung and monopaus, benda tu stop.

so, if you are having a very extra-ordinary period pain, do something instead of doin nothing! and, do pray for kma, she can hardly move right now. thank you and take care girls! :)


"They Don’t Want To Play By The Rules"

... does this work for physicists? Chemists?

How far would you get in life if you had to rediscover everything for yourself? Wouldn't that be a complete waste of time?

This is a tiny follow-up to my previous post.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken on Black Pudding with Peppercorn Sauce and Beetroot Salad


Blood sausage, blood pudding, or black pudding - as it is called here in the UK - are all essentially different names for the same product. The ingredients will vary significantly but all have one common principal ingredient and that is blood. Although the idea of eating such a concoction may sound off-putting to many people, black pudding is not only delicious but extremely versatile in the many ways in which it can be cooked and served. Whether you wish to enjoy it as part of a full fried breakfast, or as an accompaniment to chicken as in this recipe, black pudding is something that all who love sausages in particular should at least make the effort to try.

Black pudding by whatever name is not always easy to get a hold of in the USA in particular but Amazon does have a wide range of options in this respect which you may wish to consider:



Ingredients per Serving

1 chicken breast fillet
2 large bacon rashers
2 3" slices of black pudding
Handful of fresh rocket
1 small cooked beetroot
2oz blue cheese (such as Stilton)
3 fl oz double (heavy) cream
1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
Salt and pepper
Sunflower oil for frying


Method

Beetroot can be bought whole and precooked in vacuum packs from supermarkets. If you are cooking the beetroot, be aware that beetroot does take up to a couple of hours to cook from raw. The beetroot used in this recipe is not pickled, simply boiled in water.

Season the chicken breast and wrap it carefully in the bacon rashers. Place it on to a sheet of tinfoil and wrap the foil loosely to form a sealed tent. Place it on to a baking tray and in to an oven preheated to 400F/200C for twenty-five minutes.


Remove the tray from the oven and set it aside to allow the chicken to rest while the rest of the ingredients are prepared. Add a little sunflower oil to a frying pan and fry the black pudding slices for about three minutes each side on a medium heat until cooked.


The black peppercorns should be cracked with a pestle and mortar but not ground to a powder. They should be added to a small saucepan with the cream and a little salt, which should be put on to a low heat to reach a simmer.


Lay the rocket leaves on the serving plate. Dice the beetroot and blue cheese and scatter over the rocket. Remove any remaining plastic rind from the black pudding and plate it next to the salad. The bacon wrapped chicken can now be unwrapped - careful of escaping steam - and sliced in half at a forty-five degree angle. Place half a piece of chicken on top of each black pudding slice.


When the cream and cracked peppercorns have reached a simmer, give one final, thorough stir, pour over the chicken and serve your meal(s) immediately.

If you want to find more delicious black pudding meal suggestions, you may wish to visit the site linked to below.

Black Pudding Recipes

Eat Your Heart Out, Galen


This is actually the first lasagna that I've ever made. I'm not a huge fan of traditional lasagna - I generally prefer a simple bolognese with noodles, and to be honest lasagna has always seemed like too much work to bother. But veggie lasagna...yes, it could be worth it! Especially if it was modeled after the PC Vegetable Lasagna with 7 Cheeses. SO good. This stuff is like crack. I was introduced to it by a couple of roommates in university. We'd buy the Club Pack size and go through it within a day. You could delude yourself into thinking this stuff is healthy (there's VEGETABLES in it!) but it's also 25% cheese according to the product page. That's a LOT of cheese.

I think I went in originally with the mentality that I was somehow going to make this healthier than the PC version. But as I starting putting the ingredients together I moved to a different mantra: Even if I use the exact same ingredients, it should be a LITTLE better just because it's from scratch, right? And doesn't include the preservatives at the very least? Anyway, I have no idea how the calorie count on this thing compares to PC's but I can guarantee it still doesn't fall into the "low-fat" category. It's not a weeknight dish, but perfect for a rainy Sunday at home!

(proof that there were, in fact, a LOT of veggies used in the making of this recipe!)

I was actually surprised that I couldn't find a copycat recipe online. Everyone I know loves this lasagna. But I guess most people don't spend their time trying to replicate their favourite frozen foods from scratch, and really it's probably cheaper to just buy it at the grocery store. So this did mean that I had to make up my own recipe.

While I cook a lot, I'm a baker at heart which means I like to follow recipes. It was a bit tricky to write my own so I used a few similar lasagna recipes to form a "base" and then used the ingredient listing from the PC page to help me out!

According to the PC product page, the ingredients are:

Lasagna noodles (durum wheat semolina, water, dried whole egg), water, seven cheeses [white and yellow cheddar, part skim mozzarella, ricotta, asiago, swiss, romano and parmesan (whole and partially skimmed milk, bacterial culture, salt, microbial enzymes, rennet and/or pepsin, whey, white vinegar, colour)], seven vegetables (broccoli, carrots, zucchini, cauliflower, corn, onions, spinach), cream, palm oil margarine, bread crumbs (contain soybean oil), modified corn starch, skim milk powder, cheddar cheese base [cheddar a
nd blue cheese (whole milk, bacterial culture, salt, microbial enzymes), water, sodium phosphate, white vinegar, salt], lactic acid, flour, sugar, salt, spice, garlic powder, onion powder.

I tried to stay pretty true to these ingredients, obviously without the preservatives and a few very small additions. I added some roasted red pepper because I love red pepper and I had some in the fridge. And I used *gasp* SIX cheeses instead of seven! Blasphemy!

Anyway, this recipe is a bit of work but well worth the effort. And it makes a pretty big lasagna so you can always freeze some for leftovers another day! Enjoy.




Cheese and Veggie Lasagna

1 lb cauliflower (about half a large head), washed and cut into bite sized pieces
10 oz broccolli (2 small heads), washed and cut into bite sized pieces
2 red peppers, washed and seeded, halved
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
1 cup corn
2 medium zucchini, washed and sliced into 1 cm half discs
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
Olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 cups sharp white cheddar
1 cup asiago
1 1/2 cups mozzarella

1 bunch spinach, washed and trimmed/2 cup flour
15 oz ricotta cheese
1 egg

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup butter
4 cups milk
1 1/2 cups sharp white cheddar
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
50 g blue cheese
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp red pepper flakes


1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

10 lasagna sheets


Preheat oven to 375 degrees Farenheit or 190 degrees Celsius

1. Place cauliflower, broccolli, corn and zucchini on a large cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in preheated oven about 20 minutes or until veggies are soft but not mushy. While they are roasting also throw in the red peppers (you can do this directly onto the rack) until they are somewhat charred and soft. When you remove the peppers, place them onto a plate and cover with saran wrap for about 15 minutes. When they're cool, remove skins and dice. Add these to the other cooked veggies and set aside.

2. In a large sauce pan or wok, saute onions in olive oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add grated carrot and cook for about 5 more minutes. Add garlic and cook for one more minute. Remove from heat and add to the other veggies.

3. Saute spinach in the pan until wilted. Lightly beat the egg and combine with spinach and ricotta. Set aside.

4. In the same pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and cook together until it's a golden brown colour. Slowly whisk in the milk a little at a time until it's fully incorporated and smooth. Add in 1 1/2 cups cheddar, 1/2 cup parm and blue cheese bit by bit, mixing as you go to make sure it blends in. Stir in herbs and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add veggies to the sauce and stir to cover.

5. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook lasagna sheets 2 or 3 at a time until al dente. I used fresh pasta so this only took about 3 minutes per batch. I also did these as I layered because I was scared of sticking, but this didn't really seem to be a problem so you could probably do this all at once before you start assembling your lasagna.

At this point, if you've turned your oven on put it back to 375 degrees Farenheit, 190 degrees Celsius

first layer: veggies in cheese sauce

6. Assemble the lasagna! Start by spreading some of the cheese sauce/veggie mixture in the bottom of your pan. Lay down 2 1/2 sheets on top to cover, then spread with 1/3 of the ricotta mixture, 1/3 of the remaining cheese/veggie mixture, then 1/3 of the remaining cheese. Repeat twice. Lay down the last noodles then sprinkle with the breadcrumb/parm topping.

Note: I think that if you had a "real" lasagna pan you could get four noodle layers in. I maxed out at 3 so I actually made a second smaller lasagna in a small pan and froze it, but I'm leaving this recipe as it is.

7. Bake lasagna for about 35-40 minutes until it's bubbling and the top is browned. Try to let it cool for about 10 minutes before cutting because it will really help it stay together when you slice.

The Man Can Cook

Those that really know me know that Nathan is the chef in the house. Sure I cook, the simple things, you know the stuff you eat every week...pasta dishes, casseroles, Mexican dishes...

Nathan came home with a recipe in mind that he found out of one of our books, and let me tell you...damn! Best steak ever!
Bella thought it was a fancy occasion and decided to wear a pretty necklace for the event. The rest of the night was pretty relaxing with a DVD from Netflix.



Cinco de Mayo

We celebrated Cinco de Mayo around here with some tasty homemade nachos that I whipped
up and margaritas made with my ice shaver. Shortly after our pig fest we took Bella out on
a nighttime bike ride.
There's a park just out of our subdivision called Manatee Park. We like to take friends and family here when they visit to see all the beautiful sea cows. There weren't any there at this time of night, but Bella loves to come here and run around like a wild animal. It was a good night at the Gelino household.

Bakwan Udang

DSC_0404 copy



Bakwan Udang

Bahan:
75 gr udang kupas, potong kecil
75 gr wortel, iris memanjang
100 gr kol, iris halus
25 gr daun bawang dan seledri, iris halus
minyak goreng secukupnya

Adonan Tepung, aduk rata:
50 gr tepung terigu
50 gr tepung beras
1 telur ayam, kocok hingga berbuih
1 siung bawang putih, parut
1/2 sdt soda kue
1/2 sdt merica bubuk
1/2 sdt kaldu bubuk
50 ml santan instant
1 sdt garam
100-125 ml air es

Cara membuat:

• Campur udang dengan sayuran, aduk rata
• masukkan campuran sayur ke dalam tepung, aduk rata, cicipi sedikit
• Goreng hingga kuning dan kering.
• Angkat dan tiriskan.
• Sajikan hangat dengan saus sambal.

Strip Clubs And Tradition

Susannah Breslin has penned an instructive piece on strip clubs as a part of her series called "How Your Journalism Sausage Gets Made". Since there's no moral or religious component of her story, the entire piece is devoted to how girls rub their bodies against men for money and how the club managers try to portray their business in some kind of positive light, something a third grader at my daughter's Catholic school could see through in about 15 seconds. As I read it, I found myself understanding what C. S. Lewis noted in Surprised By Joy - that even as an atheist, his favorite authors all somehow turned out to be Christian and that the others were too shallow.

Lacking such a foundation, a strip club is predictable, boring and trivial. I wanted to hear the girls' moral views and what they had to say about single motherhood or how they rationalized abortion. Instead, we get interviews that could have been done with apes millions of years ago, had apes been able to talk. It's basic biology and exploitation put to prose.

I also wanted to hear how the managers differentiated themselves from sex slave owners and how both they and the girls compared themselves to Uncle Toms. The life of a pole dancer is much nicer than that of a sex slave while their job descriptions are almost identical. None of that was forthcoming and Susannah seemed bored by the thing, which seems to have been the point in the first place. Making journalism sausage, it turns out, is a real yawner.

In any case, the article ends with Susannah wondering why her series on Journalism has been so popular with younger (J-school?) readers. When answered, her reaction contains an enthusiastic endorsement of one of the reasons they like her work:
I like the part about how this generation doesn’t want a boss, they don’t want to play by the rules, they want to be out crawling around and finding things out for themselves.
The scientific analysis that led to the writing of Talent is Overrated utterly destroys "not playing by the rules" and "not following the rules". Such an approach to life is a recipe for mediocrity at best and slovenly failure at worst. As a counterexample, I offer this interview with Jerry Rice.


Here are Jerry's credentials. Jerry played by the rules and had bosses whom he followed willingly. Dittos for concert violinists, priests like Father Boyle and just about any superstar you might want to name. "Not playing by the rules" is all nonsense. "The rules" represent millennia of human learning. As G. K. Chesterton pointed out, tradition is giving our ancestors a vote in how society behaves. Throwing it out is an act of temporal snobbery. It's thumbing your nose at the great thinkers of the past and closing your eyes to time-honored ways of self-improvement and achievement.

Not to worry. The days of "not playing by the rules" are almost over.

Cooking Khas Jepang







Takoyaki

6 may 2011, jumat

Abis makan malam, suami minta dibikinin takoyaki, ini salah satu makanan fav nya. Cara n bkinnya gampang si, cuma butuh alat masak listriknya.





Bahan
90 gr tepung trigu
180 gr air
1 bh telur
garam secukupnya

Bahan isi
tako- gurita, potong kcil2 sesuai selera
kol, iris tipis2
nori tabur
sebenernya isi si bisa sesuai selera.

Cara
Aduk semua bahan hingga rata, masak di alat listriknya hingga matang,
Sorry, takoyakinya ga bs bener2 bulet...masih amatiran d, wkwk